- Karachi rally reaches Fawara Chowk.
- Lahore protesters march along Mall Road.
- Peshawar sit-in held outside Governor House.
Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) began its latest round of protests and sit-ins in Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar and Quetta on Sunday against the petroleum levy, rising petroleum product prices and rising inflation.
The protests formed the next phase of the party’s nationwide campaign after demonstrations were held at hundreds of locations earlier this month.
In Karachi, JI workers marched from the area near the Sindh High Court towards Governor House. Led by JI Karachi chief Munim Zafar, the procession reached Fawara Chowk, where the party announced a sit-in against the petroleum levy and rising fuel prices.
Police were deployed around Governor House as protesters gathered in the area. Authorities said the road from Fawara Chowk towards the Press Club and Arts Council remained open to traffic.
In Lahore, JI workers marched along Mall Road and reached Faisal Chowk near the Chief Minister’s House. Punjab JI chief Javed Qasuri and other party leaders participated in the demonstration. The party had announced a sit-in outside the Chief Minister’s House to protest higher petroleum prices, the petroleum levy and inflation.
In Peshawar, JI workers staged a sit-in outside the Governor House, leading to the closure of the road between Saddar and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly Chowk. JI Deputy Emir Liaquat Baloch was scheduled to address the protesters.
The party also organised a sit-in in Quetta as part of its simultaneous protests across the four provinces. JI leadership had previously announced demonstrations outside the Punjab Chief Minister’s House and the governor houses in Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.
Addressing a press conference in Peshawar on August 8, JI Emir Hafiz Naeemur Rehman had said the government was relying on the petroleum levy to generate revenue while shifting the burden onto ordinary citizens.
The party has demanded relief from high fuel prices and inflation and has also criticised what it describes as excessive privileges and spending by the ruling elite.
The latest protests followed JI’s nationwide demonstrations last week, when the party staged rallies, sit-ins and road blockades at hundreds of locations against inflation, rising fuel prices, the petroleum development levy and higher taxes.
The party said the protests were intended to increase pressure on the federal government to provide relief to people facing a growing cost-of-living burden.
